sérendipité douce
by ColdDecemberNight
Summary: Marinette has always been the one chasing after the guy of her dreams but things take an interesting turn when a handsome yet mysterious guy stumbles into the bakery and takes an interest in her. With the coincidental appearance of another handsome hero, Adrien has to finally step up as himself and Chat Noir if he wants to stake his claim. Will he finally reveal the truth?
1. Chapter 1

**sérendipité douce**

 **The title translates into sweet serendipity- a surprisingly fitting name for the story. I recently got into a few episodes of the Miraculous series and while the plot doesn't really wow me, I especially like Marinette and some of the other characters. Guest starring Dick Grayson/Nightwing from the DC Universe.**

" Marinette, could you mind the store until the evening? Your father and I have to go to Mrs. Fontaine's birthday party at her house. I hope that she loves the birthday cake that your father baked for her. After all, he made sure to include as many types of berries possible since she is such an ardent fan of them," Sabine gave the lilac coloured box a light pat as her daughter had a hard time imagining a double layer birthday cake with assorted berries stuffed in every nook and cranny.

" Of course, I'll take of the store, mum. Hopefully, I'll be able to convince some customers to try some of papa's new chocolate mango truffle as well," Marinette grinned and pulled up a chair behind the counter.

" That would be great but don't just limit your marketing to my truffles, Marinette. My other wares would feel rather jealous if only their chocolate counterpart gets taken off the shelves," Tom chuckled and gave his daughter a quick hug before putting on his tweed jacket.

" Don't worry papa; with such an aromatic smell and pretty finishing, I doubt that I would need to convince anyone to take a good look at everything else in the store," she cocked her head and peered at the delectable brownies which were begging to be sampled.

Marinette waved goodbye to them before cracking open her Physics workbook and a rather thick textbook. It was a Friday afternoon, roughly around half past three and the streets of Paris were beginning to be crowded as more people were scurrying around, hoping to finish up the last of their work and close early. She slowly flipped through each illustrated page of her Physics textbook while stifling a yawn as the golden rays of sunlight poured in through the window.

She thought that even the superhero gods and Hawk Moth needed a break, as Ladybug had not made an appearance in the Parisian streets yet. The homogeneous rows of sentences in her workbook were testing her focus and patience. She desperately stole glances at her mobile phone, hoping that her best friend, Alya would give her a ring too aid in her procrastination or even kill her boredom.

" Marinette, you've been staring at the same page for ten minutes," Tikki poked her head out from her bag. Marinette was jolted from her reverie as her kwami decided to play the part of Ms. Mendeleiev and prod her to stop daydreaming.

" This question is rather difficult and I was just thinking of the appropriate formulas to be used. I wouldn't dream of looking at this textbook for an extended period of time," Marinette said quickly before picking up her pencil and scribbling a formula for linear motion.

"Were you daydreaming of Adrien again? Thinking about asking him out for pizza tonight?" Tikki swooned and gave her a little wink, causing the super heroine's cheeks to turn a light shade of pink.

She cleared her throat and let out a wistful sigh. " I really want to ask Adrien to accompany to that new pizza parlour which just opened in Place d'Italie but I don't know how to. I mean I can't just call him on his mobile phone and ask him to have dinner with me? Would he think that I'm impatient for trying to take things to the next level? Or would he reject me and say that he doesn't like cheese? Perhaps he's not even free tonight…." Marinette blurted out to Tikki.

" You never know until you give him a call…." Tikki hummed and wormed her way back into her bag. Marinette eyed her smartphone the same way a mouse would eye a block of cheese in the trap. She slowly picked it up and scrolled through her list of contacts before stopping at Adrien's name. She blushed again before rubbing her thumb on the call button.

" You know what, I'll call Alya and ask for her advice. Maybe she might even suggest a different place to me," she thought and quickly called her best friend.

" Hey girl, what's up? I was just going to go and help my mother buy some provisions from the supermarket," Alya grinned.

Marinette clutched the phone tighter to her ear. " I want to ask Adrien to go out with me to have pizza at that new pizzeria in Place d'Italie tonight but I can't just call and ask him out. It might come across as a date…."she sighed.

" Isn't it a date? I mean, don't you want it to be a date after all? If it isn't a date, then he might as well bring Nino as long too right? Alya smirked through the phone.

Marinette grumbled and agreed. " You have a point but what should I do? Surely, there would be a better way to ask him out? Since it's our first date and all? If I don't impress him from the get –go, there probably wouldn't even be a second date!" she raised her voice in zeal.

" Marinette, just call and ask him out like how you would ask me out for pizza."

" I wouldn't call you. I would just send you a text and be done with it," Marinette joked.

Alya look deadpanned at her mobile phone. " Unless you want me to give him a call…..

" No, no no, it's fine, Alya. I'll call him instead. He wouldn't like cowards," she smiled.

" Thanks for the pep talk, Alya. I'll definitely persuade to join me tonight, right after my parents come back from the party. He and I will enjoy delicious wood fire baked pizza and spend a romantic evening discussing our plans for the weekend," she said excitedly.

" Good on you girl, and tell me how it goes tomorrow. Enjoy yourself and don't be nervous! Show him the fun and flirty Marinette who always tries to impress him in school."

Marinette cut the line and was about to call Adrien when a few customers entered the bakery and began piling pastries on their respective trays. " I guess calling Adrien will have to wait," she gave a wry smile before hopping off her chair and attending to their needs.

" Enjoy the pastries and please come again!" Marinette waved to them as she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. She perked up as it read half past six. Her parents would be coming home soon and she was free to go out with her crush.

She picked up her mobile phone to call the blonde model but the sound of the bells jingling made it clear that another customer had entered the bakery.

" Hi, welcome to the bakery…" she stopped halfway as she took in the marvelous sight which greeted her.

It was a very handsome young man who looked as if he was in his late teens or so. His short dark hair was neatly combed and his cologne filled the bakery with an intoxicating scent. However, Marinette was captivated by his azure eyes, which reminded her of two swimming pools in Versailles. She was lost in them, heck; she was busy taking a swim in those two sapphire orbs of his. He was tall and very well built as she could see the outline of his arm muscles through his black leather jacket.

" Oh my…This guy is gorgeous!" she squealed to herself as she shot him a coy smile before trying to hide her furious blushing.

The young man studied her face for a while before shooting her a grin. " Nice patisserie you have here. I'm guessing that it belongs to your parents?" he laughed and placed a croissant on his tray.

" Yes, although that's not really a usual way to start a conversation with a girl," she replied cheekily as she looked at herself in horror. " Did I just try to flirt with him?!"

The young man chuckled and walked to the section with the cakes. " Didn't know that I was trying to pick the baker's daughter up. I just thought that it would be unusual for a fifteen-year old girl to be working here full time."

" Wow, you actually got my age right on the first guess. I guess it's my turn now. She stroked her chin thoughtfully before eyeing him up and down. I would say that you're twenty-one!" she exclaimed as the young man winced.

" Not a bad guess but I'm actually only nineteen years of age. What's depressing is that I wasn't even sporting any sort of facial hair," he tutted. Marinette couldn't help but laugh at his comment.

" You're not from around here, aren't you? You don't look or sound like a local," she folded her arms.

" No kidding. I can't even pronounce the name of the hotel that I'm staying at. I'm actually from America. I just arrived today for some business so I'm not a tourist either. Oh, I'm Richard Grayson by the way. Just call me Dick," he smiled and extended his hand.

Marinette tried to contain her excitement as she shook his hand. " I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette will do fine, Dick," she giggled and her eyes gleamed as she steered him towards the tray of truffles.

" You should definitely try my papa's chocolate mango truffles! He just decided to put them on sale this morning and you wouldn't believe the response he got from the customers."

He looked amused at her hopeful visage before emptying half the tray onto his own tray. Marinette looked proud as punch as she managed to keep her word to her father today. " Looks like I did manage to convince someone to pick them up," she thought to herself merrily.

" So Marinette, tell me more about yourself. I'd like to know more about the beauty and brains behind the counter," he bent down to inspect the crème brulee. She tried to hide the grin that was escaping her lips as she nudged Tikki in excitement.

" Tikki! Dick just called me a beauty!No doubt that he's flirting with me," she whispered excitedly.

" That's nice and all but what about Adrien and the pizza date? Tikki looked curiously at her partner. Marinette cursed and picked up her phone to call Adrien when she was met with a curious look from Dick.

" I don't actually work here though. Um…..there isn't much to tell really. I'm just a normal girl who studies at a local school in Paris and aspires to be a fashion designer in the future. I like to read, think of new ideas and sketch during my free time. Pretty boring huh?" She gave an embarrassed smile as Dick placed his tray at the cashier.

"Far from it, Marinette. I think that's a really interesting choice and as long as you're willing to work for it, that dream is within your grasp. I have a good feeling about you," he nodded and handed her a fifty-dollar bill to pay for the stuff.

She swelled with pride as words of encouragement from a handsome stranger were rare and being told that her dream wasn't a quixotic one was delightful. " Thank you so much, Dick and I promise that if you're looking for a nice leather jacket like that one, you know where to look," she smiled and handed him his change.

" It's your turn to tell the whole class about yourself," she joked.

" Well, I just enrolled in a private college in Gotham, the city where I'm from. I'm actually pursuing a career in business and management. As for dream occupation, I don't really have one yet," he apologized .

" Sounds important though. Oh….that's probably what you meant by having business here," she slapped her forehead.

Dick snorted gently before pulling out his phone. " Marinette, I'm free for tonight so would you like to go out with me? It's interesting talking to you and I think that you're one of the prettiest girls that I have ever seen. I have seen drop dead gorgeous girls before but you look unique. If it's alright with you, could I have your number then?"

Marinette was gob smacked as she couldn't believe her ears. This was the first time that she had ever been asked out on a date by any guy. " It's fine if you don't want to, you know. I just thought that maybe you could tell me the things to do in Paris over a cup of coffee," he nodded.

Marinette thought about her date with Adrien and she chewed her lip nervously. It was true that she really wanted to go out with Adrien tonight but how often does she get asked out?

She cleared her throat and laced her fingers together in nervousness. " I would love to, Dick. You were saying something about coffee? I know this great café…." She smiled and exchanged phone numbers with the young hero.

" I'm really excited for uh…..our…."

" Date?" he finished her sentence for her. She blushed again and nodded vigorously.

" Yes, our date. Although I was expecting to be asked in a more romantic setting, I guess my papa's bakery would suffice," she chuckled as Dick gave her hand a quick squeeze before exiting the shop.

" I'll call you later!" She called out to him and did a little pirouette. " I have always wanted to say that!" she told Tikki merrily as the kwami sniffed sadly. " I want Adrien to be your first date."

Marinette remained silent as she packed up her things and prepared to go upstairs. " I know but who am I to reject a hopeful and earnest guy? I mean I'm in a position which involves be begging for dates so I can put myself in Dick's shoes. I'm in love with Adrien but Dick is something else isn't he?" she sighed dreamily as her parents entered the shop.

Little did she know, Adrien managed to catch a glimpse of their little banter from the other side of the window as he walked past the bakery. He paused for a moment as he tried to make out what their conversation was about but to no avail.

" She seems to be as giddy as a school girl," he thought to himself as he scratched his head and continued his way to the recreational park.

Marinette swung open her wardrobe and started picking out a new pair of jeans and a black top when she caught wind that another villain was on the loose in the city.

She wanted to bite her tongue in frustration. " I really don't want to bail on Dick but the city of Paris needs Ladybug to save the day," she said firmly and quickly dashed out of the window to transform.

Dick sat on a bench by the Seine and tucked into his pastries, as he couldn't stop thinking about Marinette. " For someone who dated Starfire, Wonder Girl and Zatanna, I sure am throwing a curveball by crushing on Marinette," he mused to himself. Granted that she wasn't tall, slim and curvaceous or oozed any sort of sex appeal but she was a very pretty girl next door who wasn't above cracking a few lame jokes or even slipping on a dollop of custard in the store. Plus, it had been a while since he had a chat to a girl who wasn't a superhero.

As the lingering light was obliterated by the rapidly falling night, the once salmon and purple sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed the city. A canopy of luminous stars materialized amongst the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then, but there was an adequate amount of shimmering stars to illuminate the dark, moonless night. All Dick wanted was a snack from the nearest bakery but he got more than he bargained for as he finally found a girl who managed to capture his attention, after a long time.

 **A/N : This was supposed to be a one shot when I realized that I would probably end up writing another chapter anyway. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and be prepared when Marinette, Dick and Adrien come face to face in the next chapter. Don't forget to leave a review or some feedback or any suggestions! Until next time, readers.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Marinette, now dressed as her alter ego, Ladybug, was crouching on a ledge of a building as she surveyed the busy streets of Paris, trying to locate the perpetrator. " It's already nine, so I guess that I can forget about any sort of date," she heaved a sigh and proceeded to pick up her binoculars once more.

" What's with the long sigh? Worried that I wouldn't show up tonight?" Chat Noir grinned as he strolled up to her. " Au contraire mon ami. I was just enjoying another peaceful night of crime fighting," Marinette smirked and signalled him to get closer.

He was about to peep through her binoculars when a loud scream emanated from one of the cafes below them. The two superheroes exhcanged glances before jumping and swinging from building to building until they reached their destination.

" Ladybug and Chat Noir, thank goodness that you both have arrived. Some costumed man just turned one of the customers into a piece of brocolli!" the waiter told them frantically. Marinette look horrifed as the piece of brocolli sitting on the leather chair was as tall as her. Adrien looked in fascination and tugged at the head. " Another reason for me to avoid eating my vegetables. LB, my face is probably turning green from the sight," he joked as Marinette snorted with laughter.

" I'm not quite sure about that but I do know that your puns are as stale as the bruschetta on his plate," she grinned.

The rest of the customers slowly turned to face the chef who was looking alarmed at the discerning crowd. Marinette said a silent apology before patrolling the streets with her partner.

" This vegetable villain should have turned up by now. After all, he's after us right?" Marinette looked around in confusion.

" Ladybug, over here! I think I found our guy," Adrien hissed and led her to an open parking lot behind a five star restaurant where they were greeted with a rather unusual sight. The green clad villain was trussed up like a turkey while looking considerably frightened as a dark figure loomed over him.

" Excuse me but I believe that you've got something that belongs to us?" Adrien said slowly as he inched closer to the masked figure. The new hero had a uniform which comprised a black unitard, black shoulder pads, boots and gloves. The chest area of his uniform was emblazoned with a blue bird with its wings expanded and his abdomen area is coloured in a lighter grey.

" You mean this little troublemaker? You are welcome to him. I'm guessing that you two must be the heroes of Paris- Ladybug girl and Catboy?" Dick eyed them head to toe as Adrien looked deadpanned at him. Marinette on the other hand was trying her best to contain her mirth as her partner looked absolutely embarrassed.

"Actually, I'm Ladybug and this is my partner, Chat Noir. We are the ones who are in charge of keeping the people of Paris safe from people like him," she stole a glance at the vegetable villain. Dick narrowed his eyes as he instantly recognized the spotted heroine talking to him.

" I can't believe it….Ladybug is Marinette? I don't think her partner knows, judging from how he addresses her," he thought to himself.

" Yes, I'm Chat Noir and not Catboy. Couldn't you have given me a cooler sounding name than that?" he snorted. Dick ignored him and approached Marinette much to Adrien's chagrin. She looked curious at Nightwing who folded his arms and studied her face through his domino mask.

" I'm Nightwing and I'm a hero from Gotham. Nice to see you again, Marinette," he said in a low voice that only could be heard by her. Her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as she was catatonically rooted to the spot. " How do you know who I am?" she whispered in shock as Dick's lip curled into a smirk before he tossed the villain at her feet.

" Make sure that you guys lock him up in a cell before he turns the city into his own personal salad bar," Dick instructed them and prepared to leave but was stopped by Marinette.

" Wait! Um…could I talk to you for a while?" she swallowed as Adrien frowned and stepped between them.

" What's going on Milady? Did you threaten her?" he narrowed his eyes and sized up to Dick but came up half an inch short. Dick merely shook his head. " Of course not. I have no idea why she wants to talk to me though."

Adrien turned his attention back to the uneasy Marinette who kept on avoiding Dick's piercing stare. " Ladybug, you can tell me what's wrong. Tell me honestly, did that guy do anything to threaten you?" he asked her gently and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. His soothing tone and affectionate touch calmed her nerves and she flashed him a small smile.

" No, it's just that he looks like someone I know. Thanks for your concern though," she said earnestly and squeezed his hand, causing Adrien's cheeks to turn red. " It was no problem. Anything for the woman of my dreams," he puffed up and tried to steal a kiss from her which resulted in him kissing the window of a Mustang, as she nimbly dodged and winked at him.

" Just give me five minutes, Chat Noir, and I'll be with you to purify this slimeball," she promised.

Adrien's smile disappeared from his face as he dragged the villain along while he hid behind an RV, hoping to eavesdrop on her conversation. Dick looked mildly amused as Marinette stood eye to eye with him and reached for his domino mask.

He caught her hand and pulled her closer to him. " Who knew that you could make this outfit work? You should definitely model your own clothes next time," he laughed as it finally it Marinette who this masked vigilante was.

" No freaking way… Dick Grayson? She looked incredulous at him as he calmly sat down on a crate.

" Not bad for a first date, huh? Fighting crime under the stars…."

She laughed and squealed as he pulled her to join him on the crate. Adrien clenched his fists as his jealousy was reaching a crescendo. He hated this guy for trying to move in on his girl but he despised this guy because she actually responded to his flirting!

" I can't stand it, Plagg! I have to go in there and intervene before things become out of control," he fumed.

" Ladybug, we still have to purify this villain you know. So if you wouldn't mind cutting short your little catch up session," Adrien folded his arms and walked towards them.

Dick chuckled and kissed the back of her hand before ushering Marinette back to Adrien. " He's right, Ladybug. You still have a job to do."

" I'd love to see what you guys are capable of on the battlefield. It's a shame that you probably won't be seeing me again," he nodded before glancing at Marinette who just waved to him in embarrassment.

After Marinette had purified the villain, Adrien and her stood in silence for half a minute before she put a hand on his shoulder. " Chat Noir, is something bothering you? You've been acting like this ever since we got to the crime scene."

Adrien stuffed his hands into his pocket and huffed at her. " Ladybug, I didn't like him getting so close to you when I couldn't even do the same thing. It's as if you have a thing for him …." His voice trailed off as Marinette remained silent. She had a small crush on Dick but she still loved Adrien so it wasn't entirely true.

" Chat Noir, you seem rather concerned about Nightwing making the moves on me. What's the matter? Can't take a little competition?" she ribbed him playfully, hoping to elicit one of his usual witty comebacks but this time, it was met with deafening silence.

The usually cheeky hero merely scratched his head and stared into the indiscernible horizon. " Actually, I rather not have any competition for you. I….have strong feelings for you and I know that you think that my feelings for you are just a joke but I'm telling you that it isn't. Sometimes, it hurts really bad knowing that you probably won't return my feelings any time soon. And then this other hero shows up and starts getting cosy with you, even having the gall to kiss the back of your hand. It's depressing that you're humouring a guy you just met compared to someone who has been by your side for a year now. It sure would be nice for you to acknowledge my feelings if you feel the same way," he said quietly as Marinette felt a pang of compunction.

" I probably said too much. We should go before our powers run out. All this pent-up frustration has finally come to a boil," he cracked a dry smile and moved to get up but Marinette stopped him.

" Hey, I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I wasn't interested. I just didn't want to inflate your already enormous ego," she giggled and continued.

" I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel anything for you or Nightwing. However, would you like to know what I would give you on Valentine's Day to distinguish the both of you?" she hummed as Adrien looked suspiciously at her.

" Do elaborate, LB….." he said slowly.

She tapped her finger against her chin and snapped her fingers. " I would probably give Nightwing a homemade jacket." Adrien screwed up his face and sighed dramatically. " That would be a really personal and meaningful gift, you know? A handmade jacket made with love by my sweet Ladybug? I probably would wear it work everyday."

" That's true but do you know that I would give you on that day?" she looked innocently at her feline partner.

"A new litter box and a can of tuna?" he chuckled and a playful grin tugged at the heroine's lips before she scooted closer to him.

She placed a hand on the side of his face before cupping it with both of her hands. " Actually, it's the same gift that I had gotten you last year during our fight with Dark Cupid," she blushed and closed the distance between them.

Adrien wrapped his arm around her waist and let her pull him in for a kiss when her miraculous started beeping. He mentally cursed and let his arm drop from her slender waist. Marinette felt her heart palpitating as she quickly scrambled to her feet.

"I'm really sorry Chat Noir but you know that I have to go. I actually wanted to tell you that I had gotten you a box of chocolates last year," she gave a forced smile as the feline hero snorted with laughter at her sorry attempt at bluffing him.

" That's rather strange. Now that you have jogged my memory, I did recall you saying something about a kiss after our fight with Dark Cupid?" he smirked and turned to leave.

" Till we meet again Milady and next time, you might want to stick with the same brand of lip gloss because your lips look very delicious tonight," he winked and left a rather flushed Marinette, whose face was slowly turning a shade of red which matched her uniform.

She quickly demorphed and sat down by the stairs of the fire escape to slowly calm herself down as she was overwhelmed by the adrenaline which coursed through her veins. Chat Noir was supposed to be just a very good friend and a partner albeit their subtle flirting, mostly on his part. That outburst of his, the serious confession, her sudden willingness to give in to him and that near kiss which may have had serious repercussions was too much for her to handle as she kneaded her forehead with her knuckles.

" What am I doing Tikki? If Ladybug falls for Chat Noir, this might jeopardise my cover. Not to mention that it would mean that I like three guys!" she looked incredulous at her kwami who gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

The two of them walked back in silence to the bakery as Marinette was deep in thought and Tikki had dozed off in her bag. She took a quick shower and changed into her pyjamas before seeking solace in her warm and cosy bed.

" I need to talk to Adrien tomorrow before I start losing sight of who I want most in my life," she muttered to herself and prepared to switch off the lights when a dark figure, who was leaning against balcony whistled to her. She quickly grabbed her hairbrush and pointed it at Nightwing, who gently pushed it aside.

" A hair brush as a weapon against an intruder? Doubt that the scent of lavender will ward anyone off," he chuckled and stood up to face her. A look of relief was visible as she put down the hairbrush.

" Dick, what on earth are you doing here? What if someone had seen you enter my room through the balcony? But more importantly, you nearly blew my cover in front of Chat Noir!" she hissed in annoyance as Dick removed his domino mask and took her hand.

" First, no one saw me because I was passing through the area when I decided to drop by to talk to you. Secondly, you could have told me that you were seeing someone before giving me hope," he said in a calm voice as Marinette jerked her hand away from him.

She took a deep breath and sighed. " Dick, I do not like Chat Noir in that way and if I had told you that back when me first met, it would have been a lie. If you're angry at me for not calling you tonight, surely you can understand that I have a job to do."

The cool breeze kissed her cheeks as she could feel Dick's piercing stare burn a hole through her face. "So….that vegetable villain, pretty crazy, huh? I bet you've never seen something like that back in Gotham," she cracked a small smile.

" You're absolutely right, Marinette. He is actually quite a funny chap too although I would take his words with a pinch of salt," he laughed and saw Marinette's blue eyes sparkling with amusement as she traded vegetable puns with the masked vigilante.

He glanced at his watch ten minutes later and stopped laughing. " You should go and get some rest. I still have to attend to some urgent matters before I call it a night. Before I go though, could you answer me this? Do you like anyone at the moment?"

Marinette looked shifty and whistled a random tune while inching away from him. " Well, yes but he doesn't like me back so it's kind of complicated right now. I've been planning to come clean to him for a very long time but somehow, we always get interrupted by unforeseen circumstances," she wept comically as she recalled the number of times that she was denied.

Dick wore back his domino mask and gave a little shrug. " Best of luck to you then, Marinette. This guy must be one hell of a guy to have captured your heart and I must admit that I'm a tad jealous of him," he said breezily as Marinette caught his arm.

" What are you….?" He looked surprised as she scrunched up her face and deflated. " But for some reason, I may still have a small crush on you" she said sheepishly as Dick tried his best to take her seriously.

" It must be because of how hot you look in that costume of yours. I'm sure that you have lots of chicks eating out of your claws. Now be off with you before your eyebags become more visible through your mask," she winked but squeaked as Dick pulled her towards him and brushed his lips against hers. " Why entertain chicks when I can have a ladybug. For the record, I don't intend on giving you up without a fight," he smirked before disappearing into the night.

Marinette gingerly touched the area where their lips came into contact and shook her head in disbelief. " Honestly, I really must ask him if he's reenacting his favourite scenes from a chic lit novel or something. He could have just kissed me but he rather leave me hanging," she looked amused and crawled into bed.

Adrien just sat in his bed and stared at a selfie of Ladybug and him that he took during the carnival last week. They really looked like a goofy couple in this shot. He was pulling a silly face with his arm around her waist while she was flashing her trademark smile and waving a stick of cotton candy in his face. He switched off his mobile phone and lay awake in bed-staring at the silhouette of the blanket which was visible on the ceiling.

" So she does like me after all. But why does it seem that she reminds me of someone that I know? The cute, flustered face and the dorky romantic...hmm…..well whatever it is, she owes me a kiss and the next time I see her," he took a deep breathe before continuing.

" I'll ask her to be my girlfriend for sure."

 **A/N I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope that you guys would take the time to leave a review of comment because that would be really encouraging for me, as a new writer in this fandom. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to shoot me a message. Until next time and stay tuned because Adrien and Marinette are in for a bumpy ride.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Adrien just fiddled with his pencil and chewed his lip as he ruminated on last night's events. He had competition for the hand of Ladybug and was supposed to pop the question later tonight. Sure, Chat Noir was his flirty, confident and charismatic alter ego, but this was a huge step forward, even for him. Nino watched him from the corner of his eye and nudged him.

" Hey dude, did you forget your wallet or something? You've been spacing out throughout the period and I'm thinking that it can't be due to today's lunch menu," Nino quipped as Adrien stirred from his daydream and blinked several times to comprehend his surroundings.

" It's nothing, Nino but thanks for asking. I was just mentally planning my revision timetable for next week's mid semester examination. I still can't believe that I scored a sixty for the last Geography test," he cleared his throat.

Marinette was no different than her crush- she had been thinking about last night's near kiss experience with Chat Noir which actually made her re-evaluate her feelings for Adrien. She frowned as she disliked the fact that their flirty banter wouldn't be as fun anymore due to the nature of their relationship now. Ladybug had done enough to convince her partner that she harboured the same romantic feelings for him even though she intended to keep it platonic,

She squiggled some notes on her notebook and watched Adrien stare at Ms. Bustier's explanations on the board. To Marinette, it looked as if Adrien was really locked into today's literature's lesson. She smiled wistfully from behind as Alya was busy updating her Ladybug blog.

" Why hello there….Marinette, who is this handsome hunk of a superhero fighting alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir last night? Don't tell me that Paris has another superhero watching over the city," she hissed in excitement. Marinette was jolted from her reverie as her attention was focused on the so-called 'handsome hunk', as mentioned by her best friend. She blushed slightly as the memory of her amorous encounter with Dick came flooding back. She just gave Alya a nonchalant shrug before getting lost in thought again about her azure-eyed suitor. She had a fuzzy feeling whenever she remembered his sweeping statement regarding his pursuit of her. He didn't intend to give up on her without a fight.

She shook her head and took a good look at the blackboard before hanging her head. She didn't want Dick to clash with Chat Noir as the situation could deteriorate from there. Marinette squawked in surprised as Alya clapped her gently on the back.

" Marinette, I've been trying to get your attention for some time because our last class for the day is over. So….I was thinking that we could take a walk along the Seine because I heard that there was going to be a pantomime show in the afternoon," Alya flashed her a sunny smile. Marinette immediately perked up and nodded her head enthusiastically.

" It's something like a mime show, right? It's been sooo long since I've seen an actual performance at the theatre," she sighed and stole a glance at Adrien who was still packing up. Alya adjusted her glasses and smirked. Marinette gesticulated wildly to her best friend not to do anything that might embarrass her but to no avail.

A minute later, Adrien was agreeing with Alya to join them at the show today. "Marientte, I recalled you saying that you usually spent your free time walking around the Seine and feeding the pigeons. This could definitely be a different experience for you then," he cracked a wry smile as Marinette blushed furiously before giving him an awkward thumbs up.

"I really hope that Ladybug isn't called into action today. Not yet, at least because I can't even look at Adrien straight in the face anymore," she muttered to herself as she walked back to her family's patisserie.

As she walked to the Seine with Alya, her jaw dropped as she took in the huge crowd that had gathered around the riverbank. Two actors who were dressed as elves took to the centre and started carrying out their silent act, accompanied by a steady flow of classical music. Marinette soon lost Alya in the sea of people as she wriggled her way out of the crowd and stood at the far back.

" This is precisely the reason why I couldn't stand concerts," a chuckle came from behind as she quickly spun around upon hearing the familiar voice. Dark blue eyes met bluebell eyes as Dick wore a small smirk on his face before ruffling her hair affectionately. She giggled and smacked his hand away as he pretended to look hurt.

"Geez Dick, not everyone has short and hassle-free hair like you. If I wanted bed hair, I wouldn't have bothered to comb it all this morning," she snorted and fixed her slightly mussed up hair. He chuckled and stole a glance towards the crowd that had erupted into cheers as the pantomime act ended its first act. " I really didn't imagine that I would bump into you today! Plus I haven't seen you around since…." Her voice faltered as she felt the heat slowly rise to her cheeks.

"Since that night?" he casually finished her sentence as she nodded solemnly. " Like I said, I'm here on a business trip and hence my availability is dictated by my client's own schedule," he replied.

She was about to open her mouth and respond when the sound of Adrien's voice caught her attention. The blonde boy was running towards her with a big smile on his face. " Marinette, that's where you were. I've been looking all over for you," he wiped his brow as Marinette felt embarrassed. She was supposed to meet Adrien at the Seine after all but instead, she completely forgot about it after meeting Dick. Adrien turned to Dick as he politely extended his hand. " Are you a friend of Marinette's? I'm Adrien, her classmate. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," he smiled.

Dick shook his hand and flashed him a smile. "I'm Dick Grayson and it's a pleasure to meet you too." He squeezed Marinette's hand softly before excusing himself.

Adrien narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back to Marinette who was whistling a jolly tune. " He's uh….the new helper for the family patisserie! He's here on a student visa from the States and decided to come to us for a job," she said quickly as Adrien relaxed. " You guys seem to be good friends- if you're allowing him to hold your hand albeit a brief moment," he cocked his head as Marinette shook her head. " Where he come from, physical contact among friends is nothing special," she assured him. It suddenly dawned on her that she was alone with her crush at the festival. " OMG, OMG, OMG," she mentally calmed herself down. " Is this like a date or something?"

Adrien who was none the wiser began clapping and cheering as the two actors resumed their routine. Someone accidentally knocked into the young heroine as she stumbled onto Adrien for support. He staggered and instinctively put his arms around her to shield her from the pushing and shoving of the crowd. " Are you alright?" he looked down at her. Marinette's heart started palpitating as she couldn't believe that she was wrapped in his arms.

" I'm fine," she mumbled and detached herself from him before turning her attention back to the act.

" And now ladies and gentleman, for our final act, we would like to dedicate it to our beloved mayor, Andre Bourgeois," the taller of the two actors gave a dry smile as the crowd erupted into cacophonous cheers once more. Marinette felt her phone vibrate in her pocket as she fumbled to fish it out. Her eyes widened as it was a message from Dick. Adrien saw this from the corner of his eye and pretended not to care.

She clicked on the message only to feel a lump get stuck in her throat as the ominous words of ' Marinette, you have to hide now!' flashed on her screen. Adrien put his hand on her shoulder and looked concerned at her. " Marinette, are you alright? You look a bit pale now…." But he was cut off as the sounds of gunshot filled the air as the situation was turned into pandemonium in the blink of an eye. The mayor's bodyguards were gunned down by the tall actor as his accomplice forced him to kneel on the ground and shot his pistol into the air.

Marinette was shell shocked as she had never seen anyone get murdered in cold blood before. " Damn it, this is a job for the police not Chat Noir!" he thought as he took Marinette's arm and led her away quickly. " Adrien, where is Dick?" she pulled on his arm and looked frantically at him. Adrien looked confused before his eyes darted left and right to spot the tall young man. " Marinette, we have to get to safety now! I'm sure that Dick is already in the comfort of his own house," Adrien quickly assured her.

Marinette chewed her lip nervously before seeking refuge at the local deli with him. She spotted Nightwing emerging from the alley armed with his Escrima sticks and she felt another wave of fright wash over her. "Adrien, stay here and don't go anywhere. I'm going to make a call to mum and dad to check up on them," she told him before running to the back of the store to transform. Adrien was about to protest when he heard the blaring sirens of the French police cars fill the air.

" Plagg, I know that this goes beyond the scope of our objective but our job is still to keep the people of Paris safe and this is no exception! So I'm asking you to lend me your power to combat this evil doe," Adrien fished the kwami out of his pocket. Plagg put down the block of cheese that he was eating and gave him worried look. "Just be careful master because this is one enemy that you can't afford to make a mistake against."

The mime handcuffed the mayor and gagged him to prevent any further screams. " Mademoiselles and monsieurs, I am Pierrot Lunaire, and I have taken your beloved mayor hostage. I'm requesting that the Parisian government wire me a modest sum of $50 million Euros in exchange for the safety of Monsieur Andre," Lunaire said aloud and did a little jig at the middle of the square.

Nightwing gracefully jumped down from the ledge and narrowed his eyes at the killer mime. " Lunaire, you could always just rob the bank. Why is there a need to take the Mayor hostage?" he demanded as the mime's lip curled. " Honestly, Nightwing, I never expected you to follow me all the way to France. You Yankees always have to poke your noses where it doesn't belong," he growled.

He glanced at his Lunaire's accomplice who was still pressing the barrel of his pistol against the side of the terrified mayor's head. "Let the mayor go and we can talk it out. If you kill him, it won't be just me going after you- but the French authorities as well." Lunaire hummed and rubbed his fingertips together to point out that he wanted the money first before complying with his request. Nightwing slowly reached for a projectile but Lunaire clapped his hands promptly. Nightwing cursed and dashed towards the accomplice who drew his pocket knife instead and was about to stab the mayor.

His eyes widened as the accomplice was sent tumbling into a coffee cart as he was met by a swift kick to the head by Ladybug. "If you want to yell at me, save it for after we take him down. Dick, I mean Nightwing, this isn't your city. You can't just tell me to run away and hide, knowing that I could do something about it," she raised her voice. Lunaire clenched his fists and was about to say something when he calmly blocked Chat Noir's surprise strike with his staff.

" Hey milady, hope you didn't have to wait too long to see your prince save the day again." Chat Noir grinned as he dodged Lunaire's punches with agility but the mime decided that he had enough of playing games with the young hero and sent him crashing against the wall with a kick to the solar plexus. Adrien slowly slumped against the wall before clutching his side.

" Chat Noir! Don't hurt him!" she yelled and charged at him but Lunaire pulled out a pistol and aimed it at her.

"N'essayez pas d'être un héros madame", he flashed her a deranged smile before squeezing the trigger. ( _It's French for 'Don't try to be a hero, madame')_

" Oh no, I won't be able to use my yo-yo in time," she thought and closed her eyes. She was tackled to the ground by Nightwing as the gunshots cracked into the air as loud as thunder but without the raw power of a storm. She heard an amused chuckle escape the mime's lips as she opened her eyes and looked around to find that she was lying on the pavement.

She stared at Nightwing who was on his knees and bent over her, his arms supporting his weight and placed right next to her respective ears. " No thanks necessary, Marinette. Just agree to coffee with me after this is done," he said in a low voice. Her lips started quivering as she spotted three holes in the middle of his suit. He soon slumped to the floor lifelessly as she was rooted catatonically to the spot.

" No, no, no. What a shame that my little monsieur had to go so soon," Lunaire shook his head in mock disappointment as he started advancing towards Ladybug. "My legs won't move! Get up Marinette!" she screamed to herself as Lunaire staggered after getting slugged to the jaw by a banged up Chat Noir.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my woman," he said dangerously and gripped his staff tightly. " Ladybug, I'm not forcing you to fight with me but I need your help…." He faltered as Marinette stroked Nightwing's face tenderly and punched the ground.

" Nightwing needs medical attention now! Please don't die on me, Nightwing ! I like you so much, you have no idea!" tears started streaming down her face as Chat Noir was stunned by her reaction. " Chat Noir, I have to get him to a hospital now, I'm so sorry," she hiccupped as the blonde hero hung his head and flashed her a smile.

" Hurry then, milady. I'll take care of things here. Just answer me this before you leave. Were the feelings that we shared that night, on the rooftop, real? Did you mean what you said about having feelings for me?"

She dried her eyes and nodded. " I've always been in love with you but things have changed now."

 **A/N Apologies for the ultra-late update as I've been really busy with uni and work. First and foremost, I'll be wrapping up the story very soon as I'm taking the opportunity to finish it during my summer break (yes, it is summer in Australia now). Pierrot Lunaire is actually a French villain from the DC world and I definitely would like to see Marinette face a situation that involves actual criminals. Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think. Your words of encouragement is what keeps me going. Is Dick dead? Has Marinette finally made up her mind? Will** **evil triumph? Stay tuned and find out in the next chapter.**


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